Balancing Act
by Vampiric Charms
Summary: Lin convinces Tenzin to go on a ride through the mountains with her. Tenzin regrets his decision, maybe just a little - if only because of the chosen method of travel. Pre-series Lin/Tenzin, complete.


**Set pre-series this time, and definitely Lin/Tenzin. They're probably early to mid-twenties here. Just something short and fluffy. Also posted on my AO3 account. Enjoy!**

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**Balancing Act**

"Lin – _spirits_, slow down!"

Tenzin leaned forward, close enough to hide his face against her back as the wind whipped around them both, the well-used motorcycle humming loudly under them. His arms clutched around her waist convulsively as she went into a tight turn on the narrow mountain road.

"Sorry, what was that?" she called back to him, her words almost lost into the cold air. "You want me to go faster? I was thinking the same thing."

He didn't even have a chance to tell her _no_, that was absolutely _not what he wanted her to do_, before she pushed the machine into a higher gear. The engine roared, matched only by her delighted laughter as the road turned to a complete blur under the two wheels. Dust spun up and away, vanishing quickly in their wake. Tenzin was thankful there was too much noise for her to hear his startled whimper of panic, though she could probably feel him shaking against her.

He hated when she did this. Well, fine, he didn't _hate_ it. She loved this motorcycle, and he loved riding it with her – even if he refused to learn how to drive it himself. What he hated was being so far from the city, up on these curving mountainous roads, going far more quickly than they should. He could just see the accidents waiting to happen up here.

"We're almost there!"

Her breathless voice edged its way through his anxious thoughts, and he cracked open one eye to see if 'almost there' was anywhere he recognized. Nope. Nope, not at all. Things were still moving too fast for him to even focus on them. He quickly squeezed his eyes closed again and pressed the side of his face hard against her shoulder blade.

It was another ten minutes (though it felt much, much longer than that to Tenzin) before she started slowing down a bit. He raised his head a fraction, just enough to peer over her shoulder.

A bluff had opened before them, a vast valley growing into sweeping green expanses beyond. Far in the distance, more snow-capped mountains rose into the low clouds, creating a wall around the basin below. A flock of birds was busy swooping down into the tree line, completing the image of uninterrupted nature untouched by human hands.

Lin stopped the motorcycle, cutting the engine so its sound would not contaminate the peace of the place, even from the perch so high above. "I found it a few months ago," she whispered as Tenzin quickly clamored off.

"This is amazing."

She smiled, nodding as she walked over to where he had kneeled at the cliff's edge. "Yeah. I haven't wanted to go down into the woods or anything," she explained, still keeping her words soft. "I like it up here, where I can look down on everything. It's tranquil."

"Why did you bring me here?" Tenzin asked, giving her a slightly baffled look when she plopped down beside him.

"What do you mean?"

"That came out wrong." Hearing the slight hurt in her countered question, he reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "This just seems like the kind of place you'd come to escape your problems for a while, alone. I'm honored you decided to share it with me."

Lin shifted her legs so she could lean her head against his shoulder. "You're not usually the cause of those problems I'm trying to escape," she pointed out easily.

"I'm glad." He slipped his arm around her waist, his heart finally calmed down after their treacherous ride out here. His eyes darted to her face, which was serene and contented as she watched the trees below swaying in the wind. "Say, Lin?" he hedged gently, holding her just a bit tighter.

"Hmm?"

"Next time, can we maybe, _possibly_…take my glider instead?"

Her eyebrows narrowed for a split second and he tensed, waiting for her to ask what was wrong with their current method of travel – because then he would have to admit out loud how terrified he was of riding her motorcycle though the mountains, and that was just ridiculous given how well Lin could drive it – but then she just started to laugh.

"Of course, Tenzin." She looked up at him, a wide smile on her lips as she touched her fingers to his cheek to draw him close enough for a lingering kiss. "All of your worrying," she muttered with another chuckle, tracing his jaw. "Between the two of us, I'd say we're pretty perfectly balanced."

He wrapped his arms around her again, pressing his chin against the side of her head when she settled against him without hesitation. "Pretty perfectly, yeah."


End file.
